Ultradyne Tikka T3x Laser+Cerakote Makeover Miami Vice Style!

Customization through Cerakote and laser imaging is one of my favorite projects. I recently gave my Tikka T3x in Ultradyne UD5 a complete visual overhaul—Miami Vice style.

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Rifle Recap

The stock Tikka T3x comes unthreaded, so I had to employ my threading thin sporter barrel technique using my Precision Matthews TL-1660 lathe. I also added the Ultradyne UD5 chassis and accessories as well as a Bix’n Andy Dakota trigger.

The Ultradyne UD chassis is very convenient to work with and only takes a few minutes to disassemble. It is also incredibly customizable. I had added the Ultradyne adjustable buttstock, UD spigot, and double thumb rest grip.

New Technique

Lately I had been thinking of trying a new Cerakote technique: laser burn through reveal technique. This process consists of spraying a few coats of the Cerakote color you want to “reveal” and covering it with a top layer to burn through.

The Ultradyne UD5 came with a gray Cerakote from the factory. I blasted it down to bare aluminum with 100 grit aluminum oxide.

This technique works best with a top layer that efficiently absorbs laser energy. Darker colors burn more easily. I used a single, thin coat of graphite black (H-146).

To avoid discoloration, the best base colors are lighter and resistant to laser – I selected H-175 robin’s egg blue. There are endless possibilities of how to employ this technique including multiple colors and degrees of discoloration. I also used H-175 for accessories like the UD spigot.

Central to this project were the Built American DSBE-1500 spray booth and BAE-0200 oven. (Don’t forget to use code UR5 to save 5% on BuiltAmericanEquipment.com!)

I cured the Cerakote at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours before moving to laser imaging.

Laser imaging requires some pre-production. I had scanned the UD chassis against a ruler while I had it apart to make the artwork and trace easier. After completing the trace, I added a half tone pattern consisting of different-sized circles.

This produces a gradient effect. I then took this vector artwork to the 50 watt fiber laser engraver and imported it into the lightburn software.

Before I burned the actual chassis, I employed the same technique on a test plate.

Laser engraving Cerakote is a fantastic way to produce art with significant detail.

Reassembly and Test

Once I had completed the laser imaging, I put the rifle back together and took it up to the ridgeline.

I stopped at 100 yards to confirm the zero as I had swapped my brake for a suppressor and to my great surprise, my first three shots landed into 0.220”.

I needed to make a sight adjustment for the group to be perfectly centered, but the ammunition I grabbed to plink with performed better than the load I had used last time!

The “magic” load consisted of 42.0 grains of Varget under a 155 grain Sierra MatchKing in Alpha Munitions brass. (Do not use this load data, always consult with multiple manufacturer sources.)